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Canada travel guide
Victoria
Afternoon tea to go from the Fairmont Empress in Victoria, with sweets, savoury bites and sips, packed up for a picnic.Steve Drake/Handout
Victoria continues to expand its All Ages and Abilities cycling network with six new sections added throughout the city this summer to increase road safety for cyclists.
Pick up afternoon tea to go from the Fairmont Empress, with sweets, savoury bites and sips, packed up for a picnic. Order the adult version (from $65), which includes delicacies such as smoked salmon on blini, English cucumber on rye and lemon poppy shortbread, or the Prince or Princess children’s version (from $32.50), which features organic PB&J, teddy bear macaron, homemade cherry gummy. Both include the Empress signature raison scones with housemade strawberry jam; available weekends only.
Herald Street Brew Works is the city’s newest brewery. Five brews and one cider are available in its tap room, and local beer delivery is offered every day.
The Magnolia Hotel has added another tour to its Curated Trails, offering guests a map for day on the nearby Saanich Peninsula with stops at a cidery, apiary, winery and bakery.
Calgary
Calgary's Bump Festival, which celebrates urban murals, will be back on the streets Aug. 1-29.Junette Huynh/Handout
Tubby On the Go is a new picnic package available from Tubby Dog featuring a four pack of housemade Ukey sausages, buns, Tubby Dog mustard, two Annex Ale or sodas, four Twinkies and the biodegradable CasusGrill with an hour grill time, all for $50 plus tax.
Consider the Candlelight Concert series for date night with a string quartet playing Vivaldi, Chopin or Beethoven at four venues: Deane House, The Lantern, The Pioneer and the Marriott Downtown Hotel rooftop; tickets from $30.
This summer, Many Chief Tours will launch the Siksikaitsitapi Medicine Wheel Tour, a walking tour of Calgary’s Nose Hill area, teaching guests about the plants used by the Blackfoot on the grasslands.
The Bump Festival, which celebrates urban murals, will be back on the streets Aug. 1-29, adding more original murals to its street art gallery of 50 creations in the past four years.
Saskatoon
Learn some secrets of the South Saskatchewan River with Carrie Ruep-Hildebrand of Living Sky Adventures.living sky adventures/Handout
Learn some secrets of the South Saskatchewan River with Carrie Ruep-Hildebrand of Living Sky Adventures during Balance on the Water. The SUP tour begins outside Saskatoon and follows the Trans Canada Water Trail to the Delta Bessborough Hotel for brunch with a side of live music.
Discover Saskatoon’s oldest neighbourhoods during a walking food tour of Riversdale with the Local Kitchen. The tour stops at local food initiatives such as the Askiy Project, an urban farm teaching Indigenous and non-Indigenous teens to grow, harvest and sell farm products, and the Riversdale Community Fridge, which aims to eliminate poverty and reduce food insecurity. The tour ends with chef and tour participants making dinner together using ingredients sourced along the way.
Gather friends for an SE Eleven Whisky tasting at Black Fox Farm & Distillery. A one-hour class includes tasting three whiskies for $75 a person, for a maximum of six people.
Winnipeg
The new Prairies Gallery at the Manitoba Museum reveals the wildlife and human connection to the land over centuries.Maddy Reico/Handout
Aunt Sally’s Farm at the Assiniboine Park Zoo is reimagined and reopened with playgrounds, rainbow bridges, the original wishing well, as well as goats, a llama, miniature horse and donkey, and a Vietnamese pot-bellied pig to learn about.
Opened in April, the new Prairies Gallery at the Manitoba Museum reveals the wildlife and human connection to the land over centuries with dioramas and interactive videos.
Indulge in tasty pop-ups such as Moshi Moshi where, every Saturday, chef Aiden Ha offers memorable sandwiches, think tofu katsu with curry sauce and mango cabbage slaw, available between 12-4 p.m. for pickup. Preorders are taken Tuesday and Thursday. Thompson Style Pizza is open at its temporary home at the Riverview Community Club for its beloved 15″ pepperoni pizza ($30). And for a cold pint, the Beer Can has reopened its beer garden for the season, offering craft beer, live music and snacks from the Beer Cantina at its new location outside the Granite Curling Club.
Ottawa
Satiate taste buds with Atelier Restaurant’s flavour challenge: a 44-course interactive tasting menu.Handout
Pangishimo Park is the city’s newest green space on Chaudières Island, and includes art and interpretative displays on Algonquin culture.
Ottawa City Rafting has a new option for warm days: a guided two-hour tubing tour on the Ottawa River from midtown to the Canadian War Museum. Available Monday, Wednesday, Friday and weekends from noon to 2 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., from $44.
The newest spirits vendor in the city is Dunrobin Distilleries creating organic and GMO-free Canadian rye whisky, Earl Grey gin, artisanal vodka, gin and bitters; available for city delivery.
Satiate taste buds with Atelier Restaurant’s flavour challenge: a 44-course interactive tasting menu created by award-winning chef Marc Lepine.
Book me-time at the new Uppliva Sauna & Steam, a day spa with hydrotherapy circuit and featuring face and body treatments made with seasonal ingredients sourced from local farms.
Quebec City
Visitors can fish from a newly installed boardwalk and walk a new bridge for a different view at Montmorency Falls Park.Steve Deschênes/Office du tourisme de Québec
Imagine Picasso has its North American premiere at Centre des congrès de Québec. The immersive exhibit features 200 paintings by Pablo Picasso paired with music by Satie and Ravel and runs until Sept. 6.
Explore the walled city with new self-serve e-bikes from Velo, which has docking stations around the city. Check out Montmorency Falls Park, where visitors can fish from a newly installed boardwalk and walk a new bridge for a different view of the falls.
Armagh Waterfalls Park, near the city, is Hotel Uniq’s first location. Until June 29, guests can reserve one of the glamping sites (two-night minimum), which sleep four with access to the Uniq Village.
Fredericton
The Paddle & Pint Tour launches each evening for an hour stand-up paddling session on the Saint John River, followed by drinks at Graystone Brewing.Handout
Fredericton Al Fresco has kicked off again with bistro tables and chairs in three downtown locations, including menus from local restaurants to order delivery to the public seating (or bring your own takeout). Phoenix Square features a temporary public art installation for diners to enjoy.
The Ville Cooperative has launched an Eco Market, selling environmentally-conscious arts and crafts and seasonal produce every Thursday and Friday from 12 to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
Toast happy hour with the Paddle & Pint Tour with Second Nature Outdoors. The tour launches each evening for an hour stand-up paddling session on the Saint John River, followed by drinks at Graystone Brewing. Must be 19 and older, $35 a person.
Charlottetown
On the Sol Paddle Tavern, a solar and human powered paddle boat, tour participants can learn about PEI craft beer, how to shuck an oyster or toast the sunset.Handout
The Trailside Music Hall at the Arts Hotel has created a package combining an overnight stay with live music from $79 a night. The hotel has also now opened the Dali Café, offering Spanish tapas by chef Patrick Young, open Friday from 4 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to closing.
This summer the Sol Paddle Tavern launches a solar and human powered paddle boat with 10 seats. Tour participants can learn about PEI craft beer, how to shuck an oyster or toast the sunset.
The inaugural Island Tides Yoga & Wellness Festival kicks off July 16-18 with wellness workshops, stand up paddling, live music, outdoor yoga classes by the sea and night walks in Victoria Park.
St. John’s
Brewdock, the newest watering hole in St. John's, offers 24 options on tap.Handout
The city’s newest watering hole is Brewdock, featuring 24 options on tap, including selections from Newfoundland breweries such as Bannerman, Ninepenny, Quidi Vidi and Landwash. Open 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, noon to midnight Friday to Sunday. This summer, the bar is opening a 1,300-square-foot beer garden as well, open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday to Sunday, noon to 11 p.m.
The St. John’s Pedestrian Mall will reopen on July 2, with two parts of Duckworth Street included in the no-car zone; open daily from noon to 10 p.m.
The Quidi Vidi Village Plantation will launch a summer craft project, crowdsourcing knitted sections from newbie and experienced knitters to make a sculpture from recycled and repurposed materials at the plantation.
